They met when my mom was fifteen and my dad was eighteen. He was working as a box boy at the local grocery store and she caught his eye with her blonde hair and ridiculously tiny waist. They dated all through her high school years, and six months after her graduation, they tied the knot. On Valentine's Day, naturally.

Fifty years is an eternity.

I can't even wrap my head around what it would (and will) feel like to be married to someone for that long.

I don't have any memories of my parents ever fighting. Apparently my sister remembers it happening, but they were babies when they had her—just 20 and 23 years old. By the time they had their accidental third child (that's me) they were 30 and 33. They must have grown out of their childish fighting days.

Mostly what I saw of their relationship was laughing, teasing, and spending time together—whether that meant a Friday night dinner with friends or a Sunday morning in the garden pulling weeds. They were always good at doing their own thing, but definitely seemed to genuinely enjoy being in each other's company.

Nowadays they spend much of their time camping in their RV, taking weekend trips throughout California, and going on the occasional cruise. They're treating the entire family to an Alaskan cruise this summer to celebrate their anniversary.

They still really seem to enjoy one another's company.

It's probably the thing I like most about their relationship—that they're old friends.

I'd like to think that Mr. W and I are following in their footsteps. He's a lot like my dad, which I love, and I do share a trait or two with my mom. So we may indeed be perfect for each other.

I can only hope our relationship will be as solid, enduring, and fun as theirs has been. And that we, too, will reach our golden wedding anniversary.

2 comments:

Isn't it amazing to see our parents hit such milestone celebrations? 50th anniversaries are kind of a dying breed ... I mean, think of how many people get married in their 30s now ... and how few of those people will still be married (to the same person) and still be alive and still have a living spouse when their 50th anniversary rolls around. So, hooray for them. Hooray for you. Lots of worthy celebrations this week/weekend!

Thank you for your beautiful blog and the acknowledgement of our 50th. We too hada great example set for us by our parents, aunts and uncles. They taught us the meaning of trust, love, and friendship, all of which create a foundation for a happy home.Mom and Dad